According to the Certified NPO Pocket Support active in Okayama Prefecture, there are approximately 46,000 children nationwide who are absent from school for long periods due to illness or injury, with about 1,000 of them in Okayama Prefecture, ranging from elementary to high school students.
The place that guarantees the right to education for such children is the hospital school.
In Okayama Prefecture, there are 7 facilities with 12 hospital schools, and at the Okayama Memorial Kurashiki Central Medical Institution Kurashiki Central Hospital (hereinafter referred to as “Kurashiki Central Hospital”), two hospital schools are established.
We conducted interviews to find out what kind of educational activities are taking place and how the children are spending their days.
What is a “hospital school”?
A hospital school is a special support class for children and students who must be hospitalized due to illness or injury, established within the hospital.
Not all hospitals have hospital schools; according to the 2022 Survey Results on Children Receiving Medical Treatment, only 340 schools (225 elementary and middle schools, 115 special support schools) nationwide have implemented this system.
In Kurashiki City, there are two hospital schools (elementary and middle school) at Kurashiki Central Hospital and two hospital schools (elementary and middle school) at Kawasaki Medical School Hospital.
Children attending the hospital school enroll after completing transfer procedures and continue their studies in various subjects while prioritizing treatment and examinations. The learning content follows the textbooks and materials used at their previous schools. Additionally, middle school students can request problems from their previous schools and take regular and proficiency tests.
Most children aim to return to their original schools after discharge.
Supporting them so that they do not struggle academically upon returning is a major objective.
Initiatives of the Kurashiki Central Hospital Hospital School
In the pediatric ward of Kurashiki Central Hospital, there are hospital schools designated as special support classes for Kurashiki City’s Kurashiki-Higashi Elementary School and Kurashiki City’s Higashi Junior High School.
Four hours of learning while receiving treatment
Passing through the connecting corridor from the pediatric ward, you will find the hospital school for elementary and middle school, as well as a playroom staffed by childcare workers.
The children come to school from their hospital rooms and engage in school life.
However, for children who are hospitalized, treatment is the top priority. They come to the hospital school at times that fit their treatment schedule and spend time learning.
The daily class time is four hours, and as of April 2026, the schedule is as follows.
The time corresponding to the first period in regular elementary and middle schools is when the morning rounds take place, and during lunch, they return to their rooms to eat and check their condition, so the schedule takes these into account.
Everyone has different learning content
Students enrolled in the hospital school come from various schools they attended before hospitalization. The hospital school at Kurashiki Central Hospital receives students not only from within Kurashiki City but also from northern Okayama Prefecture and Fukuyama City in Hiroshima Prefecture, resulting in varied learning progress and different textbooks and materials used.
Additionally, since there is only one class for both elementary and middle school, all six grades of elementary school and all three grades of middle school learn in the same classroom.
As a result, much of the learning time is self-study, where students work on drills or take online classes from their enrolled schools.
Activities unique to the hospital school
Within the limited learning time, there are many activities that can only be experienced at the hospital school.
One of these is the Time for Energy.
Since the hospital school is classified as a special support class, there is also a time for independent activities, which is unique to special support education. Kurashiki Central Hospital has named it Time for Energy, where children gather together to engage in activities that deepen their interactions.
Independent Activities
Each student aims for independence and develops the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and habits necessary to actively improve and overcome various difficulties based on their disabilities, thereby fostering the foundation for harmonious physical and mental development.Source: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Examples of activities during the Time for Energy include the following:
- Cooking practice
- Storytelling sessions
- English interaction activities
- Computer learning
- Creative activities
- Preparation for pediatric ward events (Tanabata celebration, summer festival, Halloween party, Christmas party, Setsubun celebration, etc.)
Activities are conducted with external instructors invited from the Ohara Museum of Art and Okayama Prefectural University, as well as activities planned by volunteers and childcare workers from Kurashiki Central Hospital, allowing for connections with the outside world even during hospitalization.
We interviewed the homeroom teachers of the hospital schools for elementary and middle school about the daily lives of the children and what they value in their teaching.
Kurashiki Central Hospital In-Hospital Classのデータ
| 名前 | Kurashiki Central Hospital In-Hospital Class |
|---|---|
| 住所 | 1-1 Miwa 1-chome, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| 連絡先 | 086-422-0210 |
| ホームページ | Kurashiki Central Hospital In-Hospital Class |
